


What’s my sapphic line

by Kekgirl21



Category: What's My Line? (US TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:41:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29495244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kekgirl21/pseuds/Kekgirl21
Summary: Mental illness is what this is.What if Dorothy hadn’t been killed by the CIA
Relationships: Dorothy Kilgallen/Arlene Francis
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

It was November. November 7th of 1965. Arlene was getting ready for the show. Her hairdresser was doing her hair in the updo, she had liked to wear in the last few weeks. He was chatting and rambling, but Arlene was quiet today. Usually she was the one to talk, with her wit and charm, but her hairdresser noticed, something was off today. 

„Is there anything bothering you Maam?“, he https://t.co/GXOt4WkPUv his typical shy manner. Arlene shook her head. „No no“,she beamed at him, btu the smile never reached her eyes. 

„If youd like to talk about it, im an open ear.“, he tugged at her hair, teezing it a bit more. 

Arlene sighed. „Well...“, she started, but her voice fell after that. After a minute she blushed. „You....“, her voice was strained. „You know....“.....“You are diffrent right?“, she bend her wrists indicating homosexuality. He nodded, smiling. „Well.“, the blonde continued . „How....“ she just could not finish her sentence. 

„How did I know?“, she smiled thankfully at his words. Yes that had been her question. „I just knew. It just.... Felt right.“, he finished her hair. „There.“ she looked at herself in the mirror. „All set.“ 

„Thank you.“, Arlene whispered. „Good luck.“, he patted her shoulder. „shes worth it. Trust me.“ 

Arlene blushed deeper. How had he known? Possibly his manly intuition. Again, she wasnt even sure. When she reached for the door, he called after her. „Just ask her for a drink. Trust me.“ It was like he knew something she didnt. 

„10 MINUTES UNTIL THE SHOW.“, it echoed in the hall. Dorothys door opened and the brunette stormed out of the room. „Oh! Arlene! You look beautiful tonight!“, she smiled her little smile. Arlene blushed. „Thank you Dorothy. You do as well. As always“, she let out a nervous laugh. Dorothy leaned against the doorframe. Her slender form stood against the lights. She looked beautiful. Her hairdressers words echoed in her mind. „After the show.“,she started, „Do you have anything to do after?“, Arlene looked down nervously. 

Dorothy looked to the side. „I do actually. But maybe next week?“, she smiled agian. Arlene took a deep breath. „Yes, how about next week.“ Dorothy hooked her arm into Arlenes. „Lets go.“ They slendered down the hall, passing Martins door. Their marriage had been on ice for a while. Dorothys hand felt warm against her bare arm. Arlene shivered. 

They entered the show. Lights shining, people screaming, the show as always went down smoothly. There was a man who operated a wax museum, a woman who sold dynamite. They laughed and glittered. It went by in a flash. Soon after saying goodnight they all went outside. Dressing down, the rush from the show still in their blood. Dorothy smiled at Arlene, when they walked down the stairs outside together. 

„Not going with Martin?“, Dorothy asked in the darkness of the night, she shined against the blue. Cars were rushing, people screaming for taxies, shoes hushing around them. „No no.“, Arlene looked around for the person Dorothy was obviously waiting for. A man approached them. Dorothy didnt noticed him yet, but Arlenes eyes were instantly glued to his face. He seemed kind of....off. He was probably her lover. He looked at Dorothys back like a lover, stearing towards her. 

Dorothy looked at her shoes again. „Ill just, grab a drink somewhere.“, Arlene turned to leave. „Goodnight Dorothy.“ she got away a few steps.

„Arlene!“, Dorothy shouted. The blonde turned on her heels. „Come with us.“ the slender woman held out her hand, grabbing Arlenes hand, pulling her with her. The man didnt talk much. He seemed stressed, looking around the bar dorothy chose, nodding along Dorothys chatter, but he didnt listen. 

Arlene was watching them. He was a lanky man, very tall, very young. When Dorothy left for the bathroom, she taged along, leaving the man alone. But when she turned, she saw him hurled over Dorothys drink. She squinted. Was he? Was that. She saw him slip something into the drink. A powder substance. Was he trying to drug her? 

„Dorothy.“, she pulled her close to her, looking around the bathroom, thank god they were alone. „Dorothy we need to talk.“ Arlene knew, Dorothy was working on something dangerous. This was serious. The brunette looked down to Arlene. „Dorothy, we need to get you out of here.“ Arlene whispered. „The man is not your friend.“ Arlene hoped Dorothy understood. Maybe they were being listened to. 

Dorothys face fell. „what do you mean hes not my friend?“, her voice lowered but the panic was not hidden. „How can we leave?“ They looked around. 

Arlene bit her lip. „There is a backdoor. We need to hurry.“ the two women were shaking, as they opened the bathroom door. The man was whispering with another at their table. Both not seeing them. They slipped quickly around the corner. Opening the door, they escaped into the cold night, without their coats or hats. 

„Taxi“, Dorothy called out both women slipping into the warmth of the cab. Dorothy ordered the man to drive her to her house a few blocks from there. Arlene pressed herself against her. „He wanted to drug you Dorothy.“, she whispered. „we cant go to your house.“ Dorothys eyes were dark. „I need my gun and my file.“, she whispered back. 

When they payed the taxi driver, they told him to wait. Entering the dark townhouse, they hurried into Dorothys study. Dorothy frantically ran around the study, throwing papers around looking under her table. „Why would he want to kill your Dorothy?“Arlene leaned against the door, her heart beating. „I have a scoop.“, the woman whispered. Finally she found what she was looking for. A little file, stuffed with loose papers. She tugged it tightly against her. „Take this.“, Dorothy hushed. The gun felt cold in Arlenes hands. The sound of a Car stopping in front of the house made them flinch. A cardoor fell shut. They looked at each other, panicked.

Dorothy grabbed the cross around her neck. She started to pray inwardly, Arlene could see it. „Is there a back door?, Arlene husked. Dorothy shook her head. „Fuck.“ 

Dorothy closed her eyed, thinking. The doorbell rang, the sound promising danger. „Listen.“ Dorothy took Arlenes hands. „There is only one way.“ Arlene nodded. „Ill open the door. Ill pretend to be fine. Ill invite him in. He will be alone. I will take him here. You hide. When hes comfortable. You have to do it.“,they both were shaking now. The gun in Arlenes hands now was hot and heavy. „You have to.“ They hurried downstairs. The doorbell rang again. „get into the bathroom“ Dorothy opened the door to a bedroom, a not used room in this house. She was trembling. „Im so sorry i dragged you into this.“ Dorothy grabbed her head, looking into her eyes. „Its alright.“, was all Arlene could say.   
She backed into the room, closing the bathroom door behind her. She could hear the door open, Dorothy laughing something off. She held onto the sink, trying to stop from faiting. The door to the bedroom opened. Arlene could see the light turn on, hear Dorothy laughing. „Im sorry, i was not feeling very good, Darling.“, the bed dipped. „May i have a drink?“, the man asked. Dorothy stood up. „I will be right back.“ she said. Arlenes heart was beating, the blood rushing into her head, her ears ringing. This was the moment.“I hope.“, dorothy raised her voice. „You will be okay all alone for a minute.“ the door closed. 

Arlene gripped the handle of the gun. She felt the clicking was too loud, echoing around the room. The man was standing in the room. This was it. It was the moment. She knew this would change her life. Could already see it in the papers. „The delightful television star a murderer“ or „Arlene Killer Francis“ 

Arlene pushed open the door, the man swung around, the gunshot echoed around the room. His face stuck in a shocked expression. It was a moment frozen in time, the man grabbing his chest, then sinking down to the floor. Hitting the carpet, then falling over. 

Arlene felt victory. For a sweet moment she felt like it was over now. Then the man groaned. He was not dead. Her hands couldnt move, but she raised them anyway, aiming at his head. The noise he made when he died, would echoe in her mind from now on. The gun fell to the ground. Arlene could not move. 

Dorothy burst into the room, holding a drink. The glass slipped and crashed onto the floor. Then two arms wrapped around Arlene. They both stood arm in arm for a moment. And for a second it was quiet. 

Then Dorothy crouched down beside the body, looking for his ID. Her hands shook whens he uncovered his hidden badge. CIA. The government. „Dorothy.“, Arlene whispered. 

„We need to leave now.“, Dorothy took the gun and the papers. The woman ran into her study, husking a few words into her phone. She had a car parked in a garage. They would know in the morning, when they didnt hear from the agent. „We dont have much time.“ 

Arlene was shaking, the blonde still in shock, when they drove to the airport. „Im sorry.“, Dorothy said again and again. „Im sorry i dragged you into this.“ „Ist alright. Wasnt my first murder.“, Arlene tried to lighten the situation. Everyone knew she had been in a fatal car accident in 1963. Fatal not for her. „It was not your fault.“ Dorothy kept her eyes on the street. „We wont be able to go back now, Arlene.“ It was true. The CIA was looking for Dorothy and now for Arlene too. They had to leave everything. Arlene tried to feel soemthing, but her icy marriage was not something she´d miss. She only was scared for her little one. „They will be okay.“, Dorothy gripped the wheel tighter. 

The airport was dark. A single plane was on the track, the man waiting for them nervously, shook both of their hands. „Mrs Dorothy.“, he greeted her. „Thank you so much.“ And before Arlene knew they were in the air. Dorothy had called a friend, whomst she trusted and he had send his private plane to pick them up.

Arlene drifted in and out of sleep for hours. When she woke up she felt a rough blanket around her. Dorothy was watching her carefully. „Were are we?“, Arlene asked. „We will be in France soon.“ the brunette looked exhausted. She had not slept. „I have a safe house there.“

The women stayed quiet, awaiting the landing. They were stiff when they stepped on the french ground, their legs hurting from the small plane. „We have to hurry.“ They went to a car parked outside of the small airport, this was not paris. „Arlene.“, Dorothy looked into her eyes. „We will have to drive for a while. No one can know were here.“, her voice was so steady. How is she not freaking out, Arlene wondered. „You cannot call Martin or your boy.“,she went on. „They will think we are dead.“ 

Arlene nodded. Nothing in her life had prepared her for this. Only one night before she had been a regular woman. A TV star, yes, but a wife and mother first. Now she was a criminal. A murderer on the run, in a small blue car filled with clothes that were not hers and a woman who she did all of this for. A woman she killed for. Dorothys safety had been more important than anything in her current life. It was in this moment, this fleeting moment she knew. 

The tiny blue car was surprisingly fast. They drove with a map, Arlene holding the paper, Dorothy driving. A little red x in the middle of nowhere in france marked the house. Dorothy had explained, that a rich friend of hers had known about her scoop, and suspected something like this. Dorothy obviously, thought it was not important, because she was safe and careful. 

The house had no phone, no neighbours and no trackable TV. It was undercover. No one knew it existed, except for the man and her. „Why do you trust him?“, Arlene had asked. „Because hes my father.“, Dorothy smiled bitterly.

The scenery was beautiful but neither Arlene nor Dorothy was able to watch. They tried navigating around the small roads, trying their hardest not to get lost. A few times they flinched, when a car appeared on the horizon, but no one seemed to follow them. Dorothy got tired and Arlene tried her best behind the wheel. She managed pretty well, while Dorothy slept leaning on the car window. The map in her lap she led them deeper into the country. Sometimes Arlene took a quick glance over to Dorothy. The brunette looked peaceful, but the deep rings under her eyes were prove of her mental state. 

When they reached the house it was already starting to get dark. Dorothy had woken up a little before dinner time and taken over the wheel. „No one followed.“, Alrene smiled, proud of herself for keeping an eye open for cars. 

The driveway was non existent. A dirtpath lead up a hill and behind a massive chunk of trees there lay a small cabin. It was hidden to the eye of passing people not only by the trees but also because it was nestled into a hillside. The last village had been about 40 minutes west. 

Under different circumstances Arlene would have found it charming, but now she was tired and overwhelmed. They dragged the suitcases That a strangers Hand had placed into the trunk, into the house. There was a small kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. Nothing more. A bed and a stove nothing more nothing less. 

„I’m sorry it’s small.“, Dorothy nearly collapsed, when she opened the bedroom door. They were too tired to think about it. Locking the door behind themselves, they fell into the bed and slept for as long as the sun was hidden. 

Arlene dreamed of the mans face, the sound of his body in the floor, the way the gun felt in her hands. Dorothy did not dream of anything. She came to, as soon as the first sunbeams hit the window. Arlene had moved closer to her during the night and even now Dorothy could see the deep worry on the sleeping woman’s face. 

„I’m sorry.“, Dorothy pushed some blonde hair out of the sleeping face. „This is all my fault.“ her voice failed. If it hadn’t been for her stupidity and nativity, Arlene would be safe now. 

She tried to be strong now. She had seen death a million times, had looked into criminals faces and murder cases, but never had it been something related to her. She had been hurdled in baby’s blankets, but now she had to be tough. For Arlene. 

Her father had taken care of everything, the kitchen was stocked with cans and dried foods. They could survive a while on this. And the next town would be available if they were careful. She woke Arlene with a cup of coffee and some bad news. The radio in the kitchen had told her, the American Government had found the agent and was now investigating. 

Arlene nodded. She had prepared for that. „What do we do now?“ she asked, sipping on the instant coffee Dorothy had made. „I don’t know.“, the brunette looked at her hands. Arlene looked out of the window for a minute, then quickly got up and looked intonthe bathroom. „Your father did this?“, she came back a small smile on her lips. 

„Yes.“, Dorothy looked up confused.

„He sure thought of everything. He even included hairdye.“ Arlene almost giggled. She knew they had to keep their moral up or they would go insane. „We Need to disguise our looks anyway. Not that you can do much, with your beautiful face. Anyone will recognise you.“, she blushed. Why had she said that. 

„I think“, she quickly continued to cover up her embarrassment, „if someone should go outside, it should be me first. Maybe french people here don’t recognise me. Especially with dark hair.“ 

She ventured back to the bathroom, pulling of the pyjama top, she had hastily put on the night before. „I’ve never coloured my hair alone.“, she told Dorothy through the door. 

„I’ll help you.“, Dorothy opened the door. Even with all the shock of the last day, she still froze. Arlenes heart was racing but she still pretended that everything was alright. Yes female friends walked bare breasted in front of each other. Nothing to think about. Nothing abnormal about that. 

She knelt In front of the bathtub, letting the water run though the showerhead to warm up. Her hair soon was wet and she pulled herself back up. Dorothy still stood where she last was, still stared with her doll like eyes at the round Form of the Woman she had known for years. 

Then she snapped. „Here“, she reached for a scratchy towel, handing it to the blonde and finally looking away. Dorothy got a chair and Arlene turned and sat. The directions of the hairdye were very simple. Apply evenly to wet hair, let soak for up to 45 minutes. Her hands were shaking when she got to work. Her eyes wandering around the room, trying her hardest to not land on the mirror and Arlene, who was watching her with her Kind eyes. 

„There.“ Dorothy finished and took of the gloves. She hoped she had done a good job. „And now?“, Arlene locked eyes with her in the mirror. „Now we wait.“ 

Dorothy slid down onto the floor, her eyes closed, hot all over. Arlene turned. „Does this make you uncomfortable? Im sorry.“, she reached for the towel on the floor. Dorothy blushed deeper, her porcelain skin red. „No.“, her hand stopped Arlene. „Don’t worry we only have two towels and I don’t want to get that stuff“, she gestured to the hair, „all over it.“ 

They talked about the weather. It felt good to talk about something so normal. Because this was anything but normal. And when it was time to wash the clumpy mass out of arlenes hair, Dorothys hands shook less. 

Arlene looked into the mirror. Her hair was not styled, she had an old shirt on and Dorothy was still in her nightgown. „It’s beautiful.“, she whispered, as she turned. 

„It looks good on you.“, Dorothy looked away again and blushed. She did an awful lot of blushing for someone who was running away from the government, she decided.

They found books, they found tea. They did not indeed find peace and they did not find a way to talk. How could you talk about something so horrible. The gayness of the morning hours vanished quickly and reality set in. The house, if you could call it that was so small, they had to sit in bed and read. 

Arlene read the same page three times and then threw the book away. She sighed. Dorothy looked up from a paper she was holding. “I cant tell you.”, Dorothy apparently was a mindreader now. “Dorothy, I left my life behind for this. This better be important. Whatever this is.” Arlene thought about her son. She hoped he was truly okay. They would not do anything to him, would they? 

The slender woman stuffed the paper back into the file. “Its important. And i got to get it to the press, one way or another.” her brown hair swept behind her, as she made her way into the kitchen. 

“Dont you think I should know what i.” Arlene shruddered “Killed that man for?” His face when he fell appeared in front of her eyes.

“No.” an iron clad formed around the sweet mouth. “No Arlene. If we get caught its better for you to know nothing.” 

“If?” Arlene shreaked. “Dorothy we wont get caught. No.” She pushed past Dorothy. How could that woman she had done this for leave her in the dark. She thought she trusted her. The door fell behind her with a soft buff, as she sank to the porch. It was cold. November air. 

A tear made her way down the usually smiling face. She was cold and alone and confused. The only woman she had left was not talking to her, avoiding her eyes when she talked. She had blatendly stared at her this morning but ever since not met her eyes. “Im sorry.”, Dorothy slid beside her, pressing a hot cup of tea into the shaking blue hands. “I did this to you and you are here because of my mistakes.”, the round eyes were shining in the cold winter air. “ I wont endanger you any further.” 

Arlene knew it was pointless. “Lets go back inside okay?”, Dorothy grabbed her hand. “Dotty. I just.”, they closed the door. “I just need to know if it was worth it.”, her new brown hair shook around her head as she let go for a while. 

Dorothy took a deep breath. She was not good with emotions. Always the strong one, always held together she personified what a good reporter needed, a strong spine. “Look at me.”, she raised Arlenes head. One didnt expect it, but Dorothy was actually much taller than the formally blonde. The teary kind eyes looked back into hers. “It was worth it.”, she said with such force. She hoped it was enough to make Arlene believe her. 

The smaller woman took a shaky breath, nodding. “Okay, okay.” another breath and she cracked a small smile. “Then we have to figure out how to get it out of here.”   
The table could be flipped to reveal a map of the surrounding area. There was basically nothing, but a few houses and a river. The next city, if you could call it that, would be a while from them. Dorothy had obviously thought about it and she explained. 

“In my opinion.”, her voice very high, as it usually was when she was explaining something. “We should lay low for a while. They will try and find us. Maybe they will succeed. If they dont we go into action. It might take a few months for us to try and find a proper plan but we will need someone to trust. I assume in four week one of us”, she got out a little red figure, “could venture into the village for the first time. Just to check it out.” 

Arlene lay her head to the side. “Why am i red and your blue.” she asked. It was meant to lighten the situation.

“Because your charming and pretty and im cold.”, Dorothy moved her blue figure back into the house. She didnt look up, but Arlene could see a blush creeping over the cheeks. She cursed herself for her irish complexion, as she shuffled a few things around the board. 

“Your charming and pretty dotty, but thats beside the point.”, Arlene nearly giggled, but this was a serious situation and the sound did not get past the lump in her throat. “So ill go into the village. Get some groceries. Make a few friends.” 

Dorothy looked down. “One friend. The store clerk. He worked with my father. That way we can have a connection to the outside world.” she played with the red thing. “Hes safe.” 

They made more tea and then a brandy. The sun came down quickly here and they didnt have much light, so they sat and talked for a while. Talked about the show and how they would miss it. Dorothy turned the radio on and the news made them both quiet down. It was Richard, Dorothys husband.

“Dorothy please.”, his voice shook. “Please come home. I know you can hear me. They are looking for you. Please come home.” Dorothy looked down. Suddenly the walls seemed to close around them. They both felt small and useless. Then a voice rippled through the device. 

“Mom.” It was Arlenes child. “Mom please. I miss y-” Dorothy turned the Radio off. Darkness settled around them. “Dont listen.”, she said. “they are trying to get us to crack.” her voice was intended to be strong but it shook. Arlene shook her head. “i know.” 

They sat in silence for a minute, then both stood up. “Lets go to bed.”, Arlene took Dorothys hand into hers. The bed was cold, it was cold everywhere. They both changed quietly, then settled under the covers, letting the sudden darkness surround them. Arlene felt Dorothy next to her shiver. 

“Come here.”, she whispered and reached out for the other woman. The body that crashed into hers and clung to her was not strong, it was that of a broken woman. A woman who had lost everything to uncover the truth and failed. 

———————

They both did not let go, finding comfort in the other ones arms. Dorothys got heavy and hurt after a while, but she did not losen her grip. The rug they called normality had been pulled from under them, life as they knew it wasnt anymore. 

Sometime, they both must have fallen asleep, because the mess of tangled limbs and hair, the same air they breathed, the dampness between them was enhanced by morpheous and their dreamless slumber.

The CIA investigated quickly. They traced Dorothys movement. Someone had seen them both leave the bar together, the taxidriver had told them he had driven them to her townhouse. The officers knew this was a delicate situation. They could not tell the public it was a search for two innocent people, that had in self defense shot the officer who wanted to kill them. They fabricated a lie, as they always did and let the press know, they were looking for the murderer of an American protector and her accomplice. 

When the radio played the news Dorothy jammed her fork angrily into her food. Very unlike her she grunted. „This is all a lie. And they know it.“ Arlene cleaned up the table. „I just hope my son doesn’t believe any of it.“ They stared at the table for a while. 

„Let’s go for a walk.“, Dorothy very hastily stood up. „It’s getting stuffy in here.“ she grabbed a coat, that wasn’t hers and shoes that she had never worn and they both got outside. 

„Are you sure we should be outside?“, Arlene whispered. 

„Why are you whispering, no one can hear us. This is no mans land.“, Dorothy spun around, the anger still in her fingertips. She had enough of the lies and manipulation of the public. They wandered around the forest, the trees covering them as they followed a tiny dirt path. Dorothy was awfully quiet and Arlene, in a rare occasion, didn’t know what to say. 

The silence was broken, by a dog, running towards them. They both flinched, shuffling closer together. Arlene stood in front of Dorothy, shielding her from the dog and eyes of whoever would come around the corner. 

„Lilly!“ a man called for the dog. The animal sniffed at arlenes hand. „Shush.“, she waved at the dog to leave. Her heart was beating, her body shaking. What if this was a police dog and they now had found them? 

A man followed the dog. „Lilly!“, he called again and the dog finally stopped putting her snout in arlene's pocket. „Pardon“, the man mumbled into his moustache. „c'est bon.“, Dorothy pieped from behind Arlene, her voice nearly a whisper.

„as-tu peur des chiens?“, the man smiled and caressed the brown animals head. 

„Oui.“, Dorothy covered her head, by leaning into Arlene, pretending to hide from the dog, Arlene could feel her hot breath against her neck.The man apologised and walked slowly along the path. They kept walking, now on shaking legs. 

„Jesus.“, Arlene whispered. „I was so scared.“ Dorothy agreed. After a few steps, Dorothy began to giggle. Holding a hand in front of her mouth she let out a few yelps. „I just had the funniest thought.“, she couldn’t catch herself. 

„He really must have thought we were scared of a dog.“ she laughed. Arlene cracked a smile. „And such a cute one.“ 

„We should get a dog“, Dorothy giggled again. She really had a schoolgirlish side, once she was amused. 

„A chihuahua would be the perfect size for our house,“ Arlene mused. The house really wasn’t big enough for a dog. They returned home quickly. Their first outing a mediocre success. But Dorothy still was smiling about the dog and Arlene was happy that Dorothy was not frowning anymore. Another cup of tea was set on the stove and it was time to sit in front of the radio once again. 

„The search for the two women still goes on.“ the newscast announced. „At this point we assume they have either left the country or are no longer alive.“, the policeman who was interviewed stated with a firm notion. 

„I hope they think we are dead,“ Dorothy murdered, taking noted. 

„What are you doing?“, Arlene looked over at the complicated looking paper. 

„I’m trying to find out where the forces are at. What they know and what they don’t know.“, Dorothy traced her pencil over the white. „They tried to appeal to us with our family, so they either want media coverage or think we are still alive.“ she concluded.

Arlene leaned against the window. She still felt Dorothy body against hers. The night quickly fell over the house and after dinner they turned off the lights and returned to the bedroom. It was the only room with a fireplace and when the oven in the kitchen wasn’t running it got cold quickly. 

The blankets fell around them as Dorothy worked on her notes and Arlene once again read the page she had now tried to understand for the 4th time. This Really wasn’t the time to read she decided. 

Turning to her side, she looked at the working brunette next to her. She was beautiful, with the light from the fireplace flickering on her face, sitting there writing on her little motepad. 

„you Look lovely tonight,“ her deep voice echoed through the room and in her own ears. Why had she said that. Dorothy blushed, stopping to write but not looking away from her paper. 

„Well that’s not the first time, you’ve ever heard that in the bedroom.“, Arlene cursed herself. She wanted to make the situation lighter, not even weirder. Get it together woman.   
It grew quiet as Arlene hoped Dorothy hadn’t heard it. 

„I haven’t for a long time.“ 

Arlene could feel herself tense up. „Well then whoever was in your bedroom was an idiot.“ she whispered. Dorothy put down her pencil and paper. Arlene turned, looking at the brunette. Even in the dim light of the fire, she could see her blushing deeper. Dorothy didn’t look at her. She started at the wall then quietly slid down and covered her face with her hands. 

„You have it easy to say that. Martin probably didn’t have a hard time looking at you when the lights were off.“ she squirmed. They had other things to worry about than looks, but it was an open wound ever since childhood.   
„Dorothy,“ Arlene raised her hand, to gently stroke Dorothys arm. Her whole body was tingling. „You Are Beautiful and i mean that.“ she tied to be soft. Dorothy let out a sigh and turned away. 

„Doesn’t matter anyway does it?“, she whispered and pretended to close her eyes. She could feel Arlene turn around and fall asleep. Both women lay awake that night, thinking the other was sleeping and pretending not to feel the heat between them. When Dorothy bumped into Arlene they didn’t move. And even with just their backs touching they shivered under the covers. 

—ß-ßß—-ß-ß-

Breakfast was a cold situation. Arlene could still feel Dorothys back against hers when she woke up and she hadnt been prepared for the mixed feelings she had about this. The bread tasted a little more stale, the jam a little less sweet. 

Dorothy went back into the bedroom shorty after just closing her eyes, breathing deeply. 

“Are you okay?”, Arlene looked concerned at the other woman. The brunette just sighed and looked awfully pale. Softly the former blonde placed a glass of water next to the slender woman, the glass making a soft dunk on the hardwood beside table. Arlene was reminded on how Dorothy had guessed an alarmclockmaker once, without any issues. 

“Ill be fine in a moment.”, Dorothys voice was thin. Her skin was even paler than before, she really was a white as the sheets. “Is there anything I can do?” Dorothy shook her head. She did not want to have to explain that she was not used to not have a drink in the morning and it finally had caught up with her. Her heart was racing. 

“Dorothy you dont look fine.”, Arlene sounded a bit more nervous. The brunette was cold and sweaty. This was not good. 

“Im fine Arlene. I just need a drink.”, Dorothy winced. She knew what would come now. The distressed look and then a sigh, something every alcoholic knows all too well. But neither of those hit her face. Instead soft arms wrapped around her as Arlene ducked next to the bed. “We will get you through this.” she whispered over and over and over until even Dorothy believed it.   
The brunette stayed in bed for the whole day. Arlene got her tea and rice, wet a cloth and placed it over Dorothys head, closed the blinds when it got to sunny and smiled, when Dorothy finally left her room.

“It hasnt always been that bad.” 

In fact, it had been better the last few months. Working on the file had giver her purpose and a form of self improvement. She had not seen her lover in a while, that made it easier too. 

Arlene had surely known about something that was going on in the kilgallen household, but she surely had not known of the gravity of the situation. She on the other hand had never been a heavy drinker, but had, in previous years seen many of her friends going downhill. 

When her hairdresser had asked her if she knew anything about Dorothys drinking Arlene had been offened, shushed him and never looked at him the same way. People loved to hate Dorothy. People loved to see her suffer. People had been mean to her on the show ever since it aired. And Arlene had always been the pretty one. She had never gotten a letter calling her chinless or a know it all- everyone enjoyed her. People liked her charm, liked her face and easy aura. 

When Dorothy gulped down the soup Arlene had placed gently in front of her she nearly smiled. The cold made them hurry back to bed, Dorothy still was sweating so Arlene tucked the woman in. Even now she had some childlike quality to her that never seemed to leaver her eyes. “Arlene?”, the brunette whispered. “Yes.” Arlene poked in the fire they had built, the flames bursting out of the open window. 

“Thank you.” 

Arlene climbed back into the bed. The cold woman next to her shuffled closer. “want me to hold you?”, Arlene held out her arms. And even Dorothy did not think but just feel in this moment that relieved her of her headache just a bit.

A knock on the door woke them both up. Arlenes heart began to race, as she stared at the door. IT knocked again. Dorothy stared at Arlene, panic in her eyes, as they thought about what to do. 

“Dont answer.”, Arlene whispered, she was sure this was her last day on earth. 

“We have to.”, Dorothy tried to feel brave today. She had been resting and feeling better and her headache was almost gone. The cold winter air blew into the room, as Dorothy opened the wooden door, Arlene stood right behind her as Dorothy covered her face with a scarf and her shoulders with a bathrobe that smelled of another womans perfume. 

The man outside smiled. The dog beside him lauched forward and sniffed Arlenes pocket. “Lilly.”, the man didnt seem very angry. “Pardon.” he gestured his dog to come back outside. 

“excusez-moi, puis-je avoir un verre d'eaue? il fait froid.”, his mustage seemed to be frozen in the cold winter air. 

Arlene did not speak french. Dorothy smiled under her scarf. 

“je peux te faire une tasse de thé” she fieped. Her voice as high as ever. The man smiled and came in. 

“je n'ai pas beaucoup de temps”, he said. Arlene thought it funny she was in fance and didnt even speak a single word of the language. 

Dorothy gave him a cup and pressed one into Arlenes hands.They talked for a while, the man nodding along with what Dorothy was saying. When Arlenes hands touched Dorothys she could see, that they were shaking. 

“Merci.”, the man nodded and left. The women both sank to the floor, when he closed the door behind him. “ I thought this was it.”, Arlene breathed. All of the tension of the last few minutes left her body as she first giggled then started to cry. Dorothy took her hands and held her as they both tried to calm down. Someone knew where they lived now. He probably hadnt recognized them, but someone knew now. 

“He told me he thought he had seen a fire and it was just out house.”, Dorothy told Arlene once they calmed down a bit. They got off the floor. “He works in the village and thinks our house is very nice.”, she added. 

They stood close now, Dorothys hands on Arlenes back, hugging her slightly, as they just stood there in the kitchen, waiting for the hammering of their hearts to stop. Dorothys headache had returned and she leaned against Arlene, her head against the newly colored brown hair. Arlene softly moved her hand in little stroked around the womans back. They both did not talk. The weight of the situation still in their bones. 

The radio told them they what they both feared. They had taken their kids into custody, wanting to ask them just a few questions, Mr Daly spoke to them asking them to come back. Arlenes Eyes were watery, but she tried her hardest to hold the tears back. Dorothy scribbled harder on her paper, so focused she didnt notice, how her knuckled had turned white. 

“i think.”, she murmered. “i got it.” she dropped the pencil. 

“Got what?”, arlene tried to see it, but Dorothy held her hand over it. “Its the article, i wanted to publish and i am going to publish.” She stuffed the paper back into the file and then looked rather smug around. 

“Why do you need to publish it so desperately?”, Arlene wondered. It would endanger them even more. 

“Arlene, this is the biggest scoop Ive ever had. This is bigger than me and you. This is going to change America.”, pride swell her chest and Arlene had to loosen her eyes away from the woman. 

………………

That night it was especially cold. The air was crisp and tight and the radio played music familiar to both, songs they both had listened to a million times and knew the words, but they felt melancholy and sad, both missing the nights they had sat in clubs and bars and just let life pass them. 

When you lose everything you know you realise what you had and it makes you yearn for the simplest things like a heated room and a warm bed. The arms of a familiar person, laughs of people you’ve taken for granted. 

Dorothy put another log of wood into the fire in the bedroom, she watched Arlene, while the woman sat around, looking rather lost. The music drifted to the back of the room while the radio rattled. The police was still looking and probably knew much more than they gave the radio. 

Actually the police was very confused by the whole case, their trail left at the airport. No plane was found, no one had seen them there. They didn’t get anything out of the respected family and had to let them go. It was frustrating to keep up the lies to the public. No one had seen a plane leave, there were no records or a single flight that night and no other airport had actually come forward in hosting a non scheduled flight. 

“Damn this woman.”, screamed the chief of the CIA.

“Do you miss Martin?”, Dorothy asked coyly.

Arlene had to think. Her answer was obviously yes. It was clear, she missed her husband. But the longer she thought, the more she knew she didn’t. She missed her life, her friends, but not Martin. She wished someone was here and helped her out of this fucked out situation but she hadn’t thought about Martin in a long time. 

“Yes”, she lied. 

“I miss Johnny too.” Dorothy sighed, nothing was mentioned about dick or the kids. 

Arlene wondered if Dorothy ever actually had loved him or the young ones.

“It’s Friday.” Dorothy smiled into the fire, usually she went out on Fridays. She actually went out most days of the week, rarely being at the home that reminded her of the falling marriage and distant kids. 

It had almost been a week of this hell. Arlene sat on the bed, her feet tapping to the rhythm of the music. “Do you want to dance?”she asked out of a spur of spontaneous heartfelt idiocy. 

Dorothy looked at her and Arlene could have jammed her head into the wall. Of course she didn’t want to dance with her. They were war criminals. 

“Yes.” Dorothy got up from the floor, taking Arlene's hand. It was awkward at first, swaying with what felt like 5 ft apart. But after a moment of nervous giggling and a lot of looking away the music took over. Arlene let her head fall back, laughing and not caring for one single moment. Dorothy didn’t know what came over her, but something changed in the air between them.

They moved closer, their hips swaying with the trumpet jazz that filled the small bedroom. They didn’t have much space so they just stepped back and forth between the bed and the fireplace, turning and then going back, but it didn’t matter. Their hands soon clasped tighter together and their smiles grew softer, the fire throwing harsh shadows on their cheeks that flittered over the walls and reflected in their eyes. 

When the music turned to slow to step, they closed the space between them, the air they breathed together now shifting. It was dark outside now and it didn’t seem like the moment would ever end. Dorothy could feel her pulse in her hands, could see a spark in Arlene's eyes and she closed her own. She expected soft lips, expected to be kissed gently but nothing happened and when she opened her eyes again Arlene was sinking down to the floor, looking into the flames. 

“It’s peaceful tonight.”, she said, smiling into the warmth, the fire marking paths on her skin. 

They sat in front of the fire quietly, leaning on each other. Arlene lowered her body into the brunette and Dorothy traced little paths on the glowing hair and face. Her soft fingers apologised for what Arlene had to go through. They didn’t speak, nothing had to be said. They both knew what the other was thinking, both knew where this was going. Dorothy had left her morals in New York and she was brave now, so brave. 

Arlene looked up, searching for something that probably wasn’t there, but what she found was dark and inviting. Dorothy leaned down, surprising herself, her eyes closed and when Arlene met her halfway they both flinched for a bit. Surprised by the softness and warmth. Both were used to rough kisses, skin like a brick wall, trickling and exciting, but not pleasant. They didn’t part in front of the fire. They kissed and kissed and left no space between them for air or doubts. 

When they went to bed that night Arlene held Dorothy tightly and securely. There was no talking or explaining. All that had to be said had been expressed in the kiss. 

When Arlene woke up Dorothy was looking at her. 

“Gmorning.” Her eyes wouldn’t open all the way yet and she cracked a sleepy smile. 

“Arlene I’m so happy to be your friend.” Dorothy smiled too. “I’m so glad we can be close! I never had many female friends so I’m excited to call you my friend.” 

Arlene was confused. “We’ve been friends for over 15 years, Dorothy.” 

“Yes, but now that we’ve kissed we are best friends. “ Dorothy got up and made coffee. From the kitchen she shouted:” it’s so nice to actually have close friends.” 

She had repeated the word so often now Arlenes ears were ringing. Friends? She thought this had been more than that. She thought they had communicated without words about their deep affection for each other. She covered her face. Of course. Dorothy was Catholic. She’d never feel the same for her. This was all a misunderstanding. 

Trying to keep up her smile she sat next to Dorothy. 

“A new lead in the Kilgallen case has been found.” The happy radio announcer chirped.

……..

They both sat in silence, something neither of them were used to.

“We hereby want to call out for you Dorothy and Arlene”,someone talked through the radio to them. “To give up. We know where you are and we will come and get you.” 

The radio worker seemed to pause for a minute. “Well that seems settled.”, she quipped. 

It became obvious, they had to do something quickly. Dorothy looked at her best friend. “Arlene. You have to go. Tell them I kidnapped you.” Her voice was coated with anxiety. 

The woman looked at her in disbelief. “Dorothy Mae kilgallen, are you kidding me right now. If I wanted to do that I would have done that before we fled the country.” She shook her locks. “No ma’am I will stay right here.” 

Dorothy took a deep breath to fight her but Arlene got out the paper and pen. “We make a plan now. I don’t think they have us yet, How would they.” She smiled a shaking smile. 

The pen in dorothy's slender hands shook while writing. “Alright.” She took another deep breath. “We are here.”, she flipped the table, taking out the little figurines. “And we need to get my copy of the article to this man.” She got out a grey one and placed it in the city. “I cannot go out, one would recognise me.” 

Arlene agreed, it was too dangerous. The dark hair would help Arlene to stay undercover. She would have to get to the store and alert the man, giving him the paper. The radio played light jazz as the women plotted their next steps. After the paper was published under a fake name, they would return to the cabin, not going out for a while. They would stay inside, reading possibly, but didn’t dare to look into the future. 

“I have to trust you not to open the file.” Dorothy tugged the paper closer to her. Arlene promised. “Pinky Promise?”, she offered. Dorothy gladly accepted. 

The air was hot and heavy and Arlene felt the kind of nervousness one might expect from going undercover when your a searched criminal on the run. 

“Let’s go to bed?” Dorothy yawned. How could she be thinking of sleep now, Arlene wondered, but followed the brunette into the room. Dorothy had her back to Arlene, pulling off her dress quickly, the fire shining against her body. “Best friends.” Arlene reminded herself. 

They snuggled under the covers, Dorothy holding onto Arlene. Her hands were clasping her arms, playing with the edge of her nightgown. “I’m sorry.”   
Arlene already was near sleep. The woman next to her smelled of cotton and comfort, of whispers at night and of the clear sky and Arlene felt herself slipping into a dreamier state of mind. 

“Itsokay.” She mumbled into dorothys neck. The brunette started to whisper but Arlene couldn’t hear it. She slipped deeper into sleep. Dorothy could feel the woman’s chest rise against hers. Between the anxiety of the day and this were worlds. For a while she listened to the air and the breath. She knew what would come would not be easy and she tried hard to mentally prepare. 

Dorothy knew she wanted to protect Arlene. It was her fault she was here, her fault she was in this and she wanted to protect her. But the article was heavy, it was important and it would change the way the world would see itself. Dorothy was sure these papers would change everything and so she had to do it.

They woke before dawn. Dorothy had fallen asleep without wanting to and Arlene had been tired, had forgotten to want to stay awake. The sun wasn’t up yet so both pretended to be asleep. They were close to each other, but the nigh had separated their bodies. Arlene yearned for some kind of touch, yet she didn’t move. Dorothy turned in her sleep, her arm falling around Arlene in her slumber. 

She successfully turned and flung her arm around Arlene, wanting to touch her, as her best friend, but she wasn’t quite sure if Arlene wanted to be that for her. Dorothy had the sickening feeling Arlene still didn’t like her and she had good reasons to. The sleep clouded her judgement and so she flung her arm around the sleeping woman who snuggled into her. Arlene was considerably smaller than she was-something Dorothy always had been wary off but now found quite comfortable. They both breathed heavily, Dorothy returning to her fumbling with the edge of Arlenes sleeve. 

Without a word they both drifted back to sleep, now clinging to each other as if life depended on it, and in a way it did. 

….

The sun did eventually betray them, rising steadily. Their breaths had morphed into one, rising and falling togther as a unit. No one dared to move in fear of waking the other both pretending to be asleep. 

Dorothy sighed. This was the day and she could feel the nerves creepin back onto her. HEr body wa still aching, her head still hurting and the feeling of doom still present. It would linger on as the day developed. Arlene finally moved. She had to, her back hurt a bit and she was in need of a glass of water. 

The brunette next to her fluttered her eyes open, her face gaining a bit of its usual colour. “Felling better?”, Arlene asked. 

“Hmh.” Dorothy held her arm over her eyes, trying hard not to sneeze into the light. They made coffee. “So we need to move quickly.” Arlene concluded, as Dorothy lay out what she thought the FBI knew. 

“The man your going to meet is an old friend of my father. He will take the article and publish it.” Dorothy explained for the third time this morning. Arlene finished her cup. “Well.”, she slapped her thighs. “Then lets do this.” 

The street was empty, the car ran smoothly. It was a pretty long way, but the birds were chirping and the november air was cold and brisk. Arlene stepped onto the gass, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. She had a coat and in that coat an envolop, that burned into her side, hot and heavy. 

The streets of the city were how one might imagine a french village to look like. Red roofs, small doors, women shaking out their pillows and dusting off their shoes. Men, hurriing to work or to the bank, children running to school, one sock hanging down, their knees burst open from falling during their games.

She parked the car in a small street, Arlene didnt want to make a scene. As much undercoer as possible. She just hoped no one was in the store. Her gloves were already slippery. The door opened with a small creak, she hoped this was the right store. 

“Bonjour.”, the man smiled at her, nodding. Arlene looked around, probably looking more suspicousyl than she was allowed to and smiled, when she saw an empty store. “Hi.” her voice didnt sound like her own. “Im a friend of Richards.” 

The mans smile fell. He rushed to her. In a thick accent he husked. “What are you doing here.”, he dragged her behind the counter into a room behind the store, closing the door.   
“I have this.” Arlene gave him the file. “Dorothy wanted this published.” he shook his head. “Please.” Arlene begged. He took the file into his hands. “zis is the devils work. Sometimes things that are not know need to stay in ze dark.” His eyes pierced hers. 

He shushed her. “You need to be more careful.”, tugging the file away, he looked her in the eye. “you are in great danger going out.” He pushed her to the door. “Now.” his old hands were on the doorknow. “Pretend to be a costumer. Get food and then get back to her. If you two are not careful, this will end.” his hand gestrured death. Arlene gulped.   
And with that he pushed her outside and proceeded to load food into brown paper bags. She payed him in cash, he gladly took it. “Have a nice day.”, she smiled when she left the store. He watched her leave knowing full well that she was probably walking into her death. The CIA agent miraculously missed her by about 4 minutes. As Arlene was loading things into her car, he entered the store. 

“Have you seen a blonde woman, looking like this?”, he looked exhausted and held up a picture. 

“No.”, the store clerk truthfully answered, as Arlenes hair had been dyed. 

The CIA agent left, feeling his job here was done and signaled his co worker who had been staring into nothingness to move onto the next town. They knew they had to be here somewhere, but so far, they had no clue where. 

Arlene drove back, not knowing any of this, she even sang along to the car radio tune, that she didnt know the words too. It had gone down smoothly. Pulling up to the house she almost was happy. 

The door to the cabin was standing open. Arlenes good mood vanished as she raced to the room. “Dorothy?”. She saw pictures of a murdered Dorothy on the floor rushing in front of her eyes. 

“Yes.”, the woman shouted back, holding up laundry. She had opnened the door, to make sure it dried quickly. “Jesus Christ.”, Arlene had to hold her heart. “You scared me.”

“Did everything go well?” Dorothy chirped in her high melodic voice. She had been worried sick all morning. 

“Yes. he took it. No one saw me, its all good.” Arlene breathed.Little did they know it wasnt true and that one of the old ladies had actually noticed her, written down the licence plate number and already called the authorities.


	2. Chapter 2

Thinking it all had gone well, they rested. Dorothy had been fighting the urge to ask Arlene to buy a drink-any drink and so far it had worked. The grey car again stopped in front of the small store and the grumpy looking CIA agent pushed the door open again, the little bells in the door ringing unnerving. 

“Where is she.” He made it clear, there was no room for error. The storeman gulped. He had just stuffed the file into the hands of a young boy, hoping he hurried to the post office. No such luck had been, as the other officer dragged the boy into the shop, hurting his arm slightly, waving the file. 

“I got it.”, he smiled. They knew now, they were on the right track. “Now to you.”   
The frenchman cursed the day he met Dorothys father and lost the poker game. He cursed his entire existence, his choices and god. But he didnt dare give up any information. 

“Have you read the file.”, the officer pushed a gun in the mans sweaty face. He shook his head no, but knew it was too late. The officer just took a single look, saw the seal was broken and pulled the trigger. The body they dragged out was heavy. 

Dorothy sighed. “Well this has been too easy!”, the fire was burning and her hands were warm. Arlene looked at her face, tracing her lines that time had painted on the pale skin. “And now we wait.” 

The glimmer in the brown eyes was undeniable, Dorothy blamed it on the fire. She leaned in. The warmth of Arlenes breath against her chin, her lips soft, even in the wintertime. They rested against each other. Arlene knew she shouldnt kiss back and ignore the heat that didnt come from the flames, but Dorothys soft hands cupped the familiar cheeks. Arlenes thoughts were racing- why was the woman grabbing her hair, if they were just friends. This was not a very friendship thing to do and why was she liking this so much. 

Dorothy pulled her even closer, her eyes pressed close, her hands buried in the soft hair, her lips parting, the warmth embracing her, Arlene ran her tongue over Dorothys lips, the hitch of her breath vibrating through the air.

The door flung open, both women quickly pulling apart, as if they had done something wrong. Arlenes heart was now racing in a different way. The man that stood in the door looked as if he had run a mile and a half. 

“You need to leave now.”, he panted. His dog waving his tail, even though this was not a happy situation. 

“What?”, Dorothy squeaked, her lipstick ruined. “Why?”

“They.”, he tried to catch his breath. “Know where you are.” Dorothy looked at Arlene. Shit.   
He continued. “They killed the storeman. They have the file.” he collapsed on the chair. “You need to go NOW.” 

Arlene and Dorothy raced. They hastily packed things, quickly and without thinking, the man urging them to hurry. “Why are you helping us?”, Dorothy asked. 

“Here.”, the man avoided the question and instead gave them a map and a key. “Take this, drive here. Be quick. They will be onto you. Take this road.”, he pushed them out of the door, Arlene stumbling into the car, the dog barking. Dorothy quickly got onto the road, racing along the trees and hills, it had gotten dark and they would have to hurry, if they wanted to make it before sunrise. 

Arlene nervously tapped her finger. “How did they find out? God what are we going to do now, they are gonna get us. How did he know? Oh no they have the file.”Dorothy let her ramble, driving with care. Arlene circled around the file.

“Arlene.”, she still looked at the dark road. “Its okay.” a tiny smirk played around her lips.   
“how is it fine? They have the file.” Arlene nearly cried. “Trust me.” Dorothy took a hand off the wheel and took Arlenes shaking one. 

The CIA officer burst open the door. There were clothes all over the place, he screamed in frustration. “Where are they goddamn.”, he sat on the chair and flipped the table, making it turn. Confused, they bent over the map. “Look!”, the younger one pointed at a small red cross. “Maybe they planned all of this.” 

The agent angrily nodded. This was a start. They probably were heading south. 

“At least we have the file, Sir.” the young man tried to make him feel better. It wasnt an easy job, pretending to be the good guys.   
The CIA agent nodded. “Yes. Want to have a look at it?”, he murmered. “Lets see what that bitch knew.” 

They flipped it open, documents piled over documents, the Agent pulled one out. 

“CIA agent Peterson has a tiny dick.”, was written all over the paper, in various fonds. Dorothy smirked and pulled the file form under her pullover. “Read.” she commanded, as they raced north.


End file.
